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2011 Garden Report 11

We’ve got watermelon!

Notice I said “watermelon” and not “watermelonS”?

There are a few still out there that are not ready yet. Only one has been ready to eat. The one that was ready earlier split wide open and spoiled before I found it. Hopefully we’ll be able to eat the others.

Do you know how you tell when a watermelon is ready to pick?

Those little curly runners (or tendrils) that reach out and grab things are how you tell. If the runner closest to the watermelon has died, it’s ready to pick. I was never sure exactly when to pick before but I had read this somewhere and decided to try it out this year and it is right on the money.

Did you also notice that it has been cut in quarters? And that one of those quarters was missing from the picture?

I tasted it while I was cutting it and couldn’t wait for pictures. I grabbed a bowl and a fork and before I realized it, it was gone. LOL It was absolutely delicious!!!

Don’t worry, I did share the rest with the other farm residents. But it was tough not to hide it and eat it all myself. You can bet I am saving seeds from this one.

Man, was it ever sweet!

The original seeds are seeds that my Dad had saved. And I thought of Dad and his watermelon seeds with every bite I took.

I have also harvested a few herbs. In this picture is mint, basil and oregano.

I promise, the oregano is hiding in there somewhere.

I hung them up to dry and then crumbled the leaves up to store in a mason jar.

AFTER the crumbling, I did read that you should leave the leaves whole until ready to use. Oh well, I’ll remember that for the next harvest.

I will use the oregano more than anything else. I make garlic bread when we have a pasta dish and I sprinkle the oregano on the bread just before baking.

I cannot wait to taste the difference between the store bought oregano that I have used for years and the fresh oregano.

Do you grow herbs? If so, tell me your tried and true ways to use them.

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4 comments on “2011 Garden Report 11”

That watermelon looks yummy and I had no idea how to tell when one was ready…thanks for the tip. I always make pesto from my basil and freeze it in mini muffin tins…perfect for us. I dry my sage and thyme as well.

WE really don’t have a lot of extra room to grow watermelons. But, my youngest son, who doesn’t like beans or tomatoes or squash or cucumbers, said why don’t we grow watermelons? He likes them a lot.
Well, we actually were able to harvest around 5 big watermelons. I don’t like the little round, seedless ones. They are delicious! Someone also said a way you could tell was to look at the bottom of the watermelon which lays on the ground, when it got yellowish it was ready to pick.